By Nirmal P. Acharya
During the Dashain festival, while visiting relatives and friends, I happened to pass by the “American Club” or “Little America” located on the Phora Durbar (Fountain Palace) compound, right in front of Narayanhiti Palace which spreads over 8 acres. The palace was sold to the United States in 1966 after which it was demolished promptly to build a secure facility owned and managed by the US Embassy in Nepal.
As far as I can remember, the “American Club” has always been there. It is located in the heart of Kathmandu’s main traffic, a high-walled compound surrounded by surveillance cameras. A few years ago, a tourist friend of mine came out of the Garden of Dreams and randomly clicked the shutter of his camera in the direction of the so-called American Club, and immediately, a group of guards rushed out and arrested him. He was interrogated, his body searched and his camera confiscated so that they could check the photographs and recordings before he was released about an hour later. Again, all this happened without any warrant.
From that day on, every time I pass by Little America, I feel petrified. The rows of cameras staring at me above my head terrify me and every time keeps me thinking, “what actually happens inside such a secure facility”? What the hell is this club? I have also had the opportunity to ask several high-level governmental and political figures this question, but they all said, “No idea, no one knows.”
If funny because when I ask, “what is MCC doing in Nepal?” Most of the answer I get is the same, “No idea, no one knows.” The reason that MCC says it’s not governed by Nepal, it’s not audited by Nepal, and it’s not covered by Nepalese law.
